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Case Study: Implementation of FSW in the Colombian Rail Transport Sector

Chapter · February 2021

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-65265-4_1

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Case Study: Implementation of FSW
in the Colombian Rail Transport Sector

Elizabeth Hoyos, Santiago Escobar, Jeroen De Backer, Jonathan Martin,

and Mauricio Palacio

Abstract Medellín is the second-largest city in Colombia and the only one to have
a metro system: Metro de Medellín (MdM), a mass-transport system that on average
transports 811 thousand people daily. An exercise was carried out to identify compo-
nents suitable for FSW and a Tie, part of the doors opening and closing mechanism,
was selected. This component was originally manufactured from a bespoke extruded
U-shaped AA6063-T83 profile with arc-welded features and machined details. FSW
provides a solution for joining aluminum alloys compared to arc welding, but high
investment costs for dedicated equipment remains an obstacle for its implementation
in small workshops. To take advantage of FSW for small batches, a manufacturing-
strategy was proposed based on the capabilities and limitations in the local metal-
working sector, enabling implementation on adapted conventional milling machines.
A representative demonstrator has been successfully manufactured for further testing.
Finally, a cost comparison between the existing manufacturing route and FSW is
presented.

Keywords Aluminum · Railway · Friction stir welding · Industrial application

E. Hoyos (B) · S. Escobar

Mechanical Engineering Department, Universidad EIA, Envigado, Colombia
e-mail: elizabeth.hoyos@eia.edu.co
S. Escobar
e-mail: santiago.escobar23@eia.edu.co
J. De Backer · J. Martin
Friction & Forge Processes, TWI, Cambridge, UK
e-mail: jeroen.debacker@twi.co.uk
J. Martin
e-mail: jonathan.martin@twi.co.uk
M. Palacio
Research, Development and Innovation, Metro de Medellín, Medellín, Colombia
e-mail: mpalacio@metrodemedellin.gov.co

© The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society 2021 3

Y. Hovanski et al. (eds.), Friction Stir Welding and Processing XI, The Minerals, Metals
& Materials Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65265-4_1
4 E. Hoyos et al.

Introduction

Since the late 2000s in Colombia, different authors have been working in the imple-
mentation of Friction stir welding using adapted machinery and tooling locally devel-
oped [1], aiming for the evaluation and selection of adequate parameters for 2XXX,
5XXX, and 7XXX aluminum alloys series [2–5], targeting the successful fabrica-
tion of sound welds. In recent years, new approaches around the technique have
been made in mathematical modeling of the variables, assessing the residual stresses
and development of new tools such as stationary shoulder FSW, trying to enhance
the quality and performance with the available machinery [2–6]. Despite the knowl-
edge, the implementation of FSW has not been successful for industrial components
because there is an unfamiliarity by local engineers around the advantages and all
the requirements of the procedure.
After decades of inactivity in Colombia, the railway industry flourished again
[7], leading to new requirements of maintenance and fabrication of components.
However, while there is a broad scientific knowledge of FSW, and a wide use in
the railway industry [8–11], the execution of FSW by small workshops remains
limited, and to date no FSW applications exist in Colombia. A broader knowledge
around the considerations, designs, and mechanical analysis around welds is needed
to exemplify the necessities and local limitations for particular applications. Due to
the possibility of implementation of the technique in the railway industry and future
growth projected, as means to educate the local engineers, a specific component of the
aperture mechanism was evaluated of the Metro de Medellín (MdM); where consid-
erations regarding its mechanical solicitations, machinery availability and design
particularities were studied and implemented satisfactorily to build a prototype in
accordance with the geometry requirements.

Materials and Methods

The component mentioned before is an 800 mm long “C”-shaped extrusion called Tie,
with two distinctive geometrical features known as the Bracket and the Lid, both of
them are shown in Fig. 1. Originally, this piece was manufactured as a tailored-made
extruded profile of 80 × 60 × 5.5 mm but due to the age of the components, there is
a lack of availability by the original manufacturer of the trains, finally affecting the
operation of MdM.
There have been attempts to manufacture the Tie using a combination of existing
techniques like machining and arc welding (over the dotted lines in Fig. 1), but the
quality obtained does not fulfill the standards required. The discontinuities which
jeopardize the performance of the pieces are related to cracks around the heat-affected
zones, near the Bracket and Lid, combined with an improper surface finish; this can
be observed in Fig. 2.
Case Study: Implementation of FSW in the Colombian … 5

Lid

Bracket

(b)

“C” shape extrusion

(a) (c)

Fig. 1 Original component, a Tie, b Bracket zoom and c Lid zoom. (Color figure online)

10 mm

Fig. 2 Discontinuities observed in the components. Scale in millimeters. (Color figure online)

Two aluminium alloys were considered with similar or greater yield and ultimate
strength, than the original alloys (214 MPa and 241 MPa, respectively [12]). These
were AA6082-T6 (250 MPa/290 MPa [13]) and AA7075-T6 (503 MPa/572 MPa
[14]).] The base metal selected for this application was the AA6082-T6 as it is
widely available, very suitable for FSW commonly used in the railway applications,
and has better corrosion resistance. For the proposed manufacturing strategy using
6 E. Hoyos et al.

FSW, the U—profile was created from two extruded “L”-shaped profiles, which
gives a solution with less material loss than machining from solid, and avoids the
great investments in bespoke extrusion dies; which are not feasible considering the
number of Ties projected to be manufactured are approximately 500, much lower
than the minimum material needed to be extruded by a tailor-made die. Welded using
600 RPM and 600 mm/min
To assess feasibility of the FSW’ed component, the first step was a load analysis
of the component to identify the maximum values of normal and shear stresses using
a Von Mises analysis versus mechanical properties of the base metal using Inventor
Pro, Nastran, and Fusion 360 for CAD design and finite element analysis (FEA).
For this phase, skewness greater than 0.75, 30°, or less for the transition angles of the
mesh and parabolic tetrahedral elements for the numerical analysis was implemented,
coupled with a convergence evaluation of less than 5% of error.
After the numerical evaluation, a stress path was constructed using the techniques
of topological optimization, to identify the areas more susceptible to be affected
if a weld was performed; leading to redesigns of geometrical features for local
implementation.
Finally, an economic evaluation was made using the developed prototype as a way
to compare the manufacture of the Tie using conventional methods and the proposed
welding process, in which the size of the available machinery, tooling, and material
were considered.

Results

Load Analysis

The selected component is part of the door opening mechanism of the wagons as
shown in Fig. 3, where the Tie works as a beam for the other modules of the mechanism
being attached to (Fig. 3a), allowing the displacement of the door during the operation
of the train.

Door support
mechanism
Fax Fbx

Fay AF Fby
Opening rail A Y B

W door X
Tie

(a) (b)

Fig. 3 Component selected—Tie. a Components and b forces. (Color figure online)

Case Study: Implementation of FSW in the Colombian … 7

The forces applied to the Tie are illustrated in Fig. 3b and the considerations
regarding the operation and assembly are exposed below:
• Door’s weight: 35 kg (W door).
• Pneumatic actuator force at 5 bars of pressure: 2800 N (AF).
• Material used for the Tie AA 6082—T6.
• Material used for other components: Steel.
• Bolt connections in the holes for assembly and constraints at the end of the
component (Fa and Fb).
• Two simulation conditions, when the door is fully opened and closed (74.5 mm
and 22.5 mm, respectively), which are the most critical situations.
The maximum values obtained are between 62.0 and 70.8 MPa depending if the
simulated condition is on the opened or closed consideration (Figs. 4 and 5). For both
situations, all the locations of maximum stresses corresponded to the same regions
with cracks and discontinuities as presented in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 Values obtained by FEA, open doors analysis. (Color figure online)

Fig. 5 Values obtained by FEA, closed doors analysis. (Color figure online)
8 E. Hoyos et al.

Fig. 6 Load path identification at the ties. (Color figure online)

Geometrical Considerations

The topological evaluation to identify the loading paths and useful information to be
implemented in the manufacture of the Tie was made. Initial considerations around
the areas to be preserved like bolts and contact surfaces were implemented, separated
in connections at the wagon’s frame, general geometry constraints to be kept, and
bolt holes needed for assembly are shown.
The data is presented in Fig. 6; the red areas correspond to the most critical path,
followed by the blue colour region as the least loaded material.
The stress path distribution is almost located at the edges of the geometry where the
constraints were located around the machined geometries which are non-avoidable,
leading to a big portion of the component to be underloaded in the middle of the
piece represented in blue (Fig. 6). Comparing it with the stress analysis performed
before, it can be observed that most of the high stresses are not located around the
horizontal axis of symmetry (dotted line) despite the paths of loading.
This loading condition and stresses make suitable the fabrication of a longitudinal
weld which makes feasible the usage of the “L”-shaped material, locally available.
A detailed analysis around the bracket identifies a low stressed area between the
subsequent perforation and the welded part itself, meaning that if a redesign is made to
implement FSW, taking advantage of this area could translate into a lower possibility
of discontinuities which could compromise the mechanical performance.

Fabrication Proposal

For each geometrical feature, a manufacturing strategy was proposed. The first is
the “C” shape, despite an extruded profile presents multiple advantages, the cost
involved in the fabrication of the die and the minimum volume to be produced in
relation with the amount of parts needed by MdM is prohibitive. Also, a machined
tie from a single block is not well suited because the volume of waste metal (around
79%) is considerable compared to a fabrication using commercial extruded parts.
Case Study: Implementation of FSW in the Colombian … 9

The alternative selected was the usage of two L-shaped profiles and a butt joint
configuration, as the sketches shown in Fig. 7a, leading to the implementation of
a traditional FSW tool and traditional machinery. For the Bracket, three different
options were evaluated (Fig. 7), where mechanical, welded, and bended approaches
were compared. The construction method chosen was the machining of the complete
part, followed by the fabrication of seams around the base using FSW, displacing
the material with lower mechanical capabilities as farther away from the highest
stresses and using the mentioned area before. This was selected because it is easier
to guarantee dimensional tolerances and lesser moving parts.
To manufacture the Lid, an approach was made proposing different methods, and
the three final alternatives are shown in Fig. 8. The selected design consists of two

(a) L- Shaped profiles (b) Welded fixture

(c) Mechanical fixture (d) Bend design

Fig. 7 a L-shaped profiles and configurations b–d Proposed bracket configurations

Fig. 8 Lid models for assembly, a Type 1 of mechanized lid, b Type 2 of mechanized model and
c Modular type of lid
10 E. Hoyos et al.

Fig. 9 Final prototype

modular pieces (Fig. 8c) which can be replaced easily and be made with another
alloy to support the treads.
The final proposed manufacture is represented with a backbone weld along the
length of the extrusions and another weld surrounding the bracket to join these pieces,
followed by the machining required for the application.
Final images of the prototype are presented in Fig. 9, which was anodized
to achieve a better look. As mentioned before, the FSW does not need any
post-processing to have the great superficial finish or keep the dimensional accuracy.

Economic Evaluation

Finally, an economic evaluation was made to compare the manufacture of the compo-
nent using FSW against commercially available techniques previously implemented
by MdM. The base price for the analysis is the price of each local manufactured tie,
around the $3’200.00 Colombian pesos (approximate 842 US dollars).
To compare the values of manufacture, Table 1 was constructed to identify the
differences in price between material acquisition, machining, and FSW welding for
each feature; against the locally manufactured piece. The FSW component does cost
less approximately $516 USD, at present value, which translates to about 39% less
money. Most of the value is related to the machining and preparation, followed by the
material’s cost, and the least expensive item is the FSW weld; meaning that despite
the economic fluctuation of the currency, the vast majority of the price will depend
on the man labour hours and the bulk material.
The alternative of using FSW does represent not only savings related to the final
price but also is more efficient using the resources due to less material losses.
Additionally, the tooling ($385 USD) and fixing mechanism ($459 USD) imple-
mented for this piece does require an investment of approximately $880, but because
these components can be reused to manufacture the projected demand, the final
estimated value of a single Tie reaches approximately $519 USD.
Case Study: Implementation of FSW in the Colombian … 11

Table 1 Manufacturing costs

Price (COP) Price (US)
“C” shape Material $269.899 $72
manufacture Machining and $661.170 $176
preparation
FSW Welding $80.672 $21
Bracket Material $147.390 $39
Machining and $242.017 $64
preparation
FSW welding $80.672 $21
Lid Material $211.474 $56
Machining and $250.664 $67
preparation
FSW welding – –
Total $1.943.960 $516

Conclusions

Friction Stir Welding is a viable alternative for repair and the replacement of low
volume production of failed components in the local railway industry; the advantages
of the process against more traditional welding methods do present an opportunity
to broaden its applications, but the process requires a more specific analysis that
could represent redesigns to the original pieces in order to fulfil the mechanical
requirements.
For this particular case, the Tie was manufactured using the FSW process around
the Bracket and along the length of the “L”-shaped extrusions, finally achieving the
quality of the required dimensional tolerances.
To construct any component by FSW, a prior analysis of the geometrical charac-
teristics must be made before any adaptation of the design due to the constraints to
perform the welding technique.
Economically speaking, FSW could be cheaper to manufacture in comparison
with other manufacturing techniques, for this intended purpose to be around 40%
cheaper, taking into consideration the volume of production and assuming the welds
can be performed by existing CNC machinery.

Acknowledgements This project was funded by RAENG under the grant agreement IAPP18-
19\266. Special thanks to TWI and Metro de Medellín (MdM) for their engineering skills and
support during the design process and evaluation of alternatives.
 12 E. Hoyos et al.

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